Chapter Eighteen

Getting dragged through the kingdom is something Julius had wanted to avoid. But the General chuckles and takes a liking to dragging him through the Yelkite Barracks, hearing the dark chuckles echo around him. The whole kingdom is surrounded by a wall that forms a circle around the kingdom. The Yelkite Barracks are hidden within the two cities of the Prisom and Outlaw Village. The barracks where they sleep are makeshift homes against the back of the wall and the wall leading to the Prisom. There only four paths that lead into the Prison, the General takes the one by the Yelkite headquarters.

As they grow closer to the palace, Julius could see the white marble color of the wall and the cracks that surface it. Two guards stand by the gate. One is the General's son Maxin, who smirks at him as they pass. The other guard yanks the gate open, whistling for the others on the other side. It opens with a loud boom; a noise Julius hears often. Gritting his teeth, he turns to look at his friends, who are being dragged as well. Jacob's green eyes spark as they enter the Prisom, the one place they have never set foot in due to their heritage of being Outlaws.

The palace rises before him, a black exterior against the white wall. The main building is about a hundred fifty feet tall in height and about two hundred feet in width. It a big castle, one where most of the rooms are empty or full during a party thrown by the king. The granite doors of the castle are dislodged, but the General just whistles and soon the doors swing all the way open. The titled flooring is a dark gray that reflects his father's color. In the entrance hall. There are two marble status, that replicate the last two kings. Down the hall are three doors. Two lead to other hallways that lead to rooms. The door directly in front of them, where the General let go of his shoulder harshly, has a face shaped into it.

The door is sculpted to look like an older king. A painted bronze crown sits upon a fat head, thick brows and a fat jaw. He looks cruel and smug, like he killed millions before he was sculpted. This king is the cruelest to ever lead, beside his father. He murdered about three thousand vampires before his squire murdered him in his sleep.

The door opens and the General gives him a shove, sending his sprawling on the floor, a few feet from the king. The throne room is huge, with a gaping ceiling, that has a colored glass roof. The glass is a painting of the Five Elves, a sigma of their allegiance. There are red and black flags that drape the walls behind the King. The throne is a black metal, with small details eroded into it. The tiled floor continues to be a dark grey that darkens the room. Five torches are lit along the walls, two beside the King.

Eight Yelkites line the sides of the room, swords glittering at their waist. A few heads turn to greet Julius as he lands. A few Yelkites smirk, the younger ones. The older ones send a look to their king, annoyed at such an interruption.

"My King," the General greets, bowing at his waist. His cloak sliding along the floor. The king gestures for them to come forward. Julius jumps to his feet, leaning away from the make behind him. "We brought guests."

They got closer, close enough to see the silver crown that sits upon his brow. His dark grey eyes glitter with malice as they take him in. His legs are stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. He is wearing his armor and black cloak that represents his kingdom. Julius glances at the ground, bearing the weight of his father's glare. The three triangle intercross with a V in the center is etched into the crowd beneath his feet, gold glinting through clear.

His father uncrosses his ankles and leans forward on his elbows. His face is lined with anger and disappointment as they take him in. "Now, can you explain to me why you are back without the girl?"

Julius clenches his jaw, curious on how news spread so fast when the General has been with him this whole time. He glances over his shoulder, catching Jacob and Davis being shoved in as well. They catch his eyes and nod, giving him the signal.

"We already discussed this." Julius says, letting his eyes fall back on his father.

The King tilts his head, his hand moving as well. His eyes roam behind him, looking over his friends and then back to him. "No. I would remember that."

"But you did. You gave us an order to look for her throughout the village, a very destroyed village," he says, "But when I came back, the General catches me and the village fell back into place."

The King leans back into his throne, his eyes slitting in thought. He hums before tapping his fingers on the arm beside him. He smiles and meets his eyes. "I know. We can use the truth serum and the Enhancement to figure out the whole truth."

Julius steps back, his heart pounding. "The Enhancement?" he asks, his voice light, "I don't know."

The King waves his hand. "Yes. It has been modified to detect certain memories that can help with information. My Magicians are ready to help whenever." His father stands and strides the large room, crossing over the tiled flooring. The echoes float around them until he stands beside the General. He crosses his arms over his chest, staring at his friends with disgust. He claps his hands together and turns back to Julius. "I need your consent to go forth. Any resistance to the Enhancement will cause pain, no matter how small." The warning is old to Julius, though his father has never used it on him before. His eyes seem to hold a predatory gleam as they wash over Julius.

"I—" he hesitates, sending a look over his shoulder to his friends, "I don't know. I am telling the truth."

"Then undergoing the Enhancement should be no problem, Prince," the General smirks, looking down his nose at them, "Go ahead with it and prove us wrong."

"Wrong about what?" he asks, confused.

The General rolls his amber eyes. "We believe you allowed her to get away, Julius. I don't understand how you haven't caught onto that." Julius narrows his eyes and sneers at the General. No one knows his name, other than his father. Names are a powerful thing, but to never hear it uttered is different.

"Fine," he growls, but points back at his friends, "but they do not go through it. Only me."

The King claps and beams with triumph, his gray eyes brighten. "That is okay! We only need you as you were the one appointed to this mission. You failed; therefore, you go through the process to undo your mistakes."

Julius clenches his jaw and meets his friends' eyes over his shoulders. "Then I will."

The King whirls around, gesturing to his Yelkites. "Follow me." He orders, the eight guards turning toward him with fast reflexes. Julius steps back, the blind loyalty shining in their eyes. The King strides to the door, walking pass them. The Yelkites circle around them, herding them to the door. It opens up, lighting up the hallway filled with the paintings. The King marches pass the door to the hallway to the bedroom. A black curtain hangs over something in a back corner, away from prying eyes.

Julius has been down here a couple times before his father closed it off years ago after his war with the Fae became his life. The curtain ripples back, illuminating a brown door, with deep scratches embedded into the wood. A gold knob glints, and the King takes it, twitsting until a loud click sounds.

"Perfect." His father mumbles, before pushing it open. A long stair well goes deep into pitch darkness. A flame flickers and soon, a line of torches hung on a rivet on the wall going down. Taking the lead again, his father continues to go down. They follow, with two Yelkites taking the end, insuring the King of Julius's obedience.

The walls darken from a tan to a dark green, an insane color for a basement, but it adds a level of insanity to his father. Once the thin hallways merges into a round room, filled with different kind of items, Julius takes notice of a cabinet in the back. Long syringes line the cabinet walls, surrounded by a table that holds broken pieces. Truth serum, the stuff his father injects the patients that undergo the Enhancement. A light orange fluid stare back at him. Walking forward slowly, he makes his way over. He walks by boxes full of old magic items that his father and his Magicians used over the years.

Magicians are vampires that practice using magic. Since vampires are creatures of magic, some of them can use that magic. Most cannot; and his father spent five years finding the eight he has. Magicians have a weaker connection to magic, but they are the better ones to wield it. The only one to ever have a full connection to magic, which is the Mage. The Mage used to be a free soul, loose in different realms. His father captured her thirteen years ago, built her a mansion inside the Outlaw Village, displaying his power to his people.

No one forgot about it, people steer clear of the area. Rumors sparking of demons, but Julius had a team go watch and reported nothing. The Mage house is located in the fourth section of the Outlaw Village, where all the vampires that have dark aspects or an urge to try magic live.

His father uses it to his advantage and trains each of the magicians or uses it to soothe his needs. The magicians slowly emerge into the light, their faces and bodies hidden by cloaks with the Vampi Kingdom embedded into the chest. The cloaks drape to the floor, silently dragging along. The eight magicians circle them as they enter the chamber, the dark disappearing. It allows them to see more. A tall ceiling that arches upward until it meets sky. Rows upon rows of books go all the way up. They have a library a few stops back, but this one beats it. Weapons and artifacts color the walls in between shelves. Julius shakes his head, stunned at what he sees. Jacob and Davis take either side of him, their jaws clenched with fear. They are staring at the head brace. He doesn't remember ever seeing it before but looking at it tugs at something far in his mind. He brushes it off and turns as his father steps by the glass shelf full of the truth serum.

"You will take the truth serum and be doing the Enhancement. And that is the name because once we are done, you earn something if you do not lie. Power always comes with a price, so if you lie, it hurts. If you do not, you earn. Understand?" the King explains, though his tone sounds like he is bored of the instructions.

Julius nods. The King faces him, a syringe in his hand. The absolute joy that passes his faces disgusts Julius. His father who loves pain and enjoys inflicting it. The two magicians beside him go for his arms, but yank them away, shoving it to his father. The joy dwindles a bit, but satisfaction radiates his eyes when he stabs the needle into his arm. He hisses out a breath but remains steady enough.

The serum is a boiling liquid, searing every part of him, until it reaches his brain. The liquid manifests there, exploring every moment of his life. He tries to resist it, but pain explodes through his head and he sways on his feet. He relaxes enough to let the liquid finish its hunting and hook onto something.

The King looks smug and crosses his arms over his chest. His eyes roam all three, before resting on Julius. "Where is Callista?"

Jacob answers. "We do not know. The teenager controlled the smoke enough where we could not see past, even as vampires."

"Then how can a mere human navigate through it?" his father snarls."We do not know." Is all he could answer.

The King watches them for a moment, before shaking his head. "The teenage boy is Drakae, a demon. He is our kingdom's protector. I made a deal with him fifteen years ago, give him Callista Shawcross in exchange for the location of all Fae villages."

Julius stares at his father, so many words building in his mind, but he shut it down. A demon? In the supernatural realm? They are born for destruction. His father glares at him, as if he knew what he is thinking. Instead he pushes pass the magicians and them, coming to stand by the head brace.

Julius turns with him, and swallows harshly at the aspect of wearing that. "Now, my son, this will put you in a trance where it will seek any moment, I ask it. If you resist to show the piece what I want, it will inflict pain. If you allow it, it gives you something."

Julius feels like static as something buzzes through his body, but he moves forward and takes the head brace off the table it lays on. He sits in a chair beside it, tugging it on. He lays back and get comfortable. He hears a soft puff before something enters his neck and his eyes close.

His eyes open and he immediately flinches. A pure white light surrounds him, stinging his eyes. He groans and stands up, but everything he touches seems to be made of the same color. He seems to be floating in a white sky. That wasn't it. He can feel the ground beneath his feet. When he reaches to his full height, a rush of dizziness hits him. He sways but it recedes.

The walls around him look solid, but it looks like a canvas. He reaches out and touches, but his hand goes right through. His eyebrows furrow and tries again, but his hand simply passes through.

"Show me Callista Shawcross." His father's voice echoes around him like thunder. Julius steps back in surprise.

The wall he stares at explodes with color, mirroring his memories. It looks like a motion picture, but as he reaches for it, his hand disappears again. Callista's face bubbles up and he can't help but take her in. Then in slow motion, the memory of her starts from when they first met in the forest, to the Silver village, to the tent and then the kiss scene at Granite City.

Show me Drakea."

The images keep coming. The world of smoke, Callista being swallowed whole, terror etched into her face. When the smoke clears, they see her gone. Keiser's body is laying on the ground. Drakea is launching himself at Julius, looking for Callista.

"Show me the Fae." The tone his father requests that in, is filled with triumph. Julius is quick to resists, but pain attacks his head and chest, pulling him apart. He screams in agony and let's go of the restraint. The pain fades as he watches the splash of color hit the wall.

Leilani and her child are in the meeting, hearing the words of "I can add to your army." Jamie as they argue over his ex-lover's child. Him and Michael talking about the war, finding Callista lurking behind them.

"Stop." The King order and the memories disappear. Julius waits for himself to wake up.

"What's going on?" the General asks, "We can't see inside anymore."

"No. he didn't resist most of it, so it is giving him something back." His father explains.

The wall before him transforms into words. A single sentence that struck him to his core. The black letters look 3D on the white canvas, making it look life like.

You father stole your memory fifteen years ago. Reset?

Something told him to say no, that he didn't want to know his past. What was so bad that his father took his memory. Then he fixates on the words, reading them for the underlying message

.

"Yes." He breathes.

The air before him comes to life, showing a dark castle. His mother is there, standing beside his father as they look down at the baby him. "He will be a great king." His father smirks. His mother laughs, her tone edged with insanity.

It moves later along, where he is a boy and rumors come alive his father captures a Royal Werewolf. He sneaks down to the dungeons and finds a solid wall. He knew of the magic, and where the ripple of it is. He says the word and it comes rolling down, showing the image a little girl, in ripped clothes. Her bright silver-blue eyes glitter at him as she begs him to warn her parents of the incoming threat. He had a quick instinct to help her, but it would mean treason. So, he tells her no and leaves.

It skips a few weeks to where a search party is scouring the whole kingdom, searching for the lost princess. A solider told his father he had visited her weeks before. He whipped him bloody in the Outlaw village. He took him to the basement with the magicians and took his memory.

His eyes snap open, confused on where they are at. The new memories feel familiar, but he can spot those eyes anywhere, no matter how much she has aged. Callista Shawcross is the lost princess of the Royal Werewolves. And his father took his memories when she went missing again.

"What are we wanting to do, my lord?" the General mutters after Julius gets out of the brace. His golden eyes glinting like actual metal. "Should we force them to look around the city?"

The King frowns, the tone the General has sends flags of warning through Julius's head. "Yes, I think they should. Take Eight Yelkite guards and the General. Scout the whole kingdom. Callista Shawcross does not leave this kingdom alive."

The order sears through their clan bond, a tightening strand. Julius winces as it pulls as does Jacob and Davis. He watches the General, but it passes right over him. The pull only hurts if you have a resistance. Eight Yelkites surge forward, standing in front of Julius and his friends. The General pushes off the wall and claps his hands together. Julius pushes off the chair and stands beside his friends. The way they acted; Julius is sure his father has no idea his memory returned.

"We will split up into teams of four. Three Yelkites with Jacob, three with Davis and two with me. Julius, you will follow me as well." The General orders, a smirk on his face as he orders him. He clenches his jaw, hate flowing "We will start in all sectors of the Outlaw Village. Span out."

They did, marching through the arch way of the basement, leaving a smirking King behind. The mahogany doors close, shutting all of them out of the room. The General whistles and they split up, all three groups moving in separate directions. Julius and the General go through the Fire Section, the rogue territory of the village. This part held the most ruthless and vicious Outlaw villagers. The center road led straight to the door of Yelkite. The road holds the most criminal vampires, the ones his father trains and appreciates. Julius and his friends stay away from this area due to the Fae, who surround some of the houses. The kidnapped and enslaved. Some they knew personally and have to avoid.

As the General make his way through the village, crowds surge forward. Begging and pleading to see the king. Most of the villagers love in other sectors, but cross into this one to talk to the vampire lucky enough to enter the Prisom. Another name for where the King sits. A few children play on a broken swing directly beside them as they weave between the villagers. The Yelkites snarl at the vampires, sending the scrambling back. As they came to a stop at an intersection, a ripple of fabric caught Julius's attention.

A female stands in the street, disoriented and looking around her. The flash of silver-blue eyes has his catching his breath. Callista stands far apart, her eyes resting on their crowd. Fear strikes through her eyes, making her stumble back. She barrels toward the house in front of her, a black mansion. Julius hisses out a breath as he recognizes the Witch's palace. Julius strides across the path, heading directly towards her. He hears the General order his Yelkites to follow him. They march down, as Callista pounds at the door, screaming. Not in fear, but in simple words of I accept.

"Callista, come on," he calls as they near her, "Just come to the Palace to meet the King. I will help you find a way to stay alive."

Callista seems to ignore him and he starts up the path. He shakes his head and reaches out to grab her, when he gets thrown back into a house across from the Witch's Palace. Callista whirls around, her chest heaving and her eyes wide with fear. It didn't come from her. A dark chuckle echoes the air, wrapping around them. Julius sits up, coughing as his rib slowly heals back into place. The three Yelkites and the General are further away, still unmoving.

"Prince Julius, have you ever been taught to never mess with fate?" the voice muses, as a shape takes place in front of him. She walks toward him, like she just came from the door. By the astonished look on Callista's face, he knew this is the Witch. A soft growl is heard at her feet and at eye level with a cheetah. "Say hello to Finn, my boy. He saw you coming five days ago."

"A seer?" he manages to get out as the big cat bares its teeth.

"Oh yes. And now Callista has said the simple word. We promised our help. So," she turns toward Callista, still at the palace doors. She waves her hand and the female disappears, no trace she was even standing there. The Mage whirls to face him, her eyes going wide. "No. This cannot be. I am free, but you are not. Not of the pain of your future." Her eyes go to the cheetah who is now laying in front of Julius. "Did you see?"

The cheetah morphs into a male, who looks to be filled with sorrow as he stares at Julius. "Yes, I did. But it is not all bad. She will be what he needs to get over his father. But with a cost."

The Mage looks him over. "Never fear, Prince. You will see her again." The male and the Mage take hands, shimmering out of existence.